Anker SoundCore Life P2 Truly Wireless  Headphones Review

The Anker SoundCore Life P2 have a very similar style to the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2 but with a bronze colored logo instead of silver, and without the flash of red. Both the headphones and the case have a matte black finish that gives them a slightly more premium look than other options in the same price point.

The Anker SoundCore Life P2 are decently comfortable, but their in-ear design creates a bit of a plunger feeling in the ear. Like the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2, they come with five different sizes of silicone tips, which is great.

The Anker SoundCore Life P2's controls are disappointing. Unfortunately, there's no volume control, and since there's no companion app, the controls can't be customized. On the upside, they're fairly easy to use and their physical, clicky buttons help them provide better feedback than earbuds with touch controls, like the JLab Audio JBuds Air Executive Truly Wireless.

Like most in-ear headphones, the Anker SoundCore Life P2 don’t trap any heat inside your ear, so you shouldn’t notice a difference in temperature when wearing them. This makes them a good option for sports as you shouldn’t sweat more than usual.

These truly wireless headphones are extremely portable thanks to their small and lightweight design. Their charging case is smaller than some other options and should easily fit into most pockets or bags.

The charging case for the Anker SoundCore Life P2 is decent. It feels a bit cheaper than the case of the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2, and the earbuds rest horizontally instead of vertically, making them a little bit more difficult to put in the case.

The Anker SoundCore Life P2's build quality is good. The earbuds themselves feel just as well-built as the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2, but with physical buttons instead of a touch-sensitive surface. The case feels a bit cheaper made, with a slightly wobbly hinge and thin lid. On the upside, the headphones are also rated IPX7 for waterproofing, though we don't currently test this.

The Anker SoundCore Life P2 feel quite stable in the ear once you've achieved a proper fit with the included tips. While they don't have stability fins, they should still be able to stay in your ear even during runs or light workouts. If you're looking for an even more stable pair of in-ears, check out the Mpow X3 Truly Wireless.

• Anker SoundCore Life P2 headphones
• 5x tip options
• Charging case
• USB-C charging cable
• Manuals

These headphones have a fairly well-balanced sound profile with bass that provides a bit of extra thump, without being overpowering. While their treble range is decently well-balanced, unfortunately they have a recess in the mid-range which will push leads and vocals to the back of the mix, though this may not be noticeable. Overall, the sound profile of these headphones should be suitable for most genres of music.

The frequency response consistency of the Life P2 is outstanding. Once you achieve a proper fit and seal with the included tips, you should get consistent sound reproduction every time you use the headphones.

The bass accuracy of these headphones is great. They're slightly overemphasized throughout the entire range which gives them a bit of extra thump and punch without sounding muddy or boomy.

The mid accuracy of the Anker SoundCore Life P2 is very good. While this range is fairly well-balanced, unfortunately it's a bit recessed and lead instruments and vocals may sound slightly weak and pushed back in the mix.

The treble accuracy of these headphones is excellent. They're quite well-balanced with only a few minor peaks and dips in the treble range. Overall, all higher frequencies are within a good range and shouldn't sound harsh or piercing.

The peaks and dips performance of these headphones is impressive. Their underemphasized mid-range may push vocals and leads to the back of the mix, though this shouldn't be too noticeable. There are also a few peaks in the higher frequencies, though these are in high enough ranges that they shouldn't be audible to most people. Overall, you should be able to hear all frequency ranges well, with none too overemphasized.

The stereo imaging of the Anker SoundCore Life P2 is superb. The group delay is below the audibility threshold for the entire range, ensuring a tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. The L/R drivers of our unit were also very well-matched, though these results are only valid for the unit we tested, and yours may perform differently.

Like most in-ear headphones, the soundstage of these headphones is practically non-existent. This is because creating an out-of-head and speaker-like soundstage is largely dependent on activating the resonances of the pinna (outer ear). The design of in-ears and earbuds is in such a way that fully bypasses the pinna and doesn't interact with it.

The weighted harmonic distortion of the Anker SoundCore Life P2 is great. All frequencies fall within very good limits, which should result in a clear and pure audio reproduction.

The noise isolation of the Anker SoundCore Life P2 is decent. Since they don't have active noise cancellation (ANC), these headphones only block ambient noises passively. While they do a good job of this in the mid-range, where speech sits, unfortunately, they don't block the low rumble of engines well. Luckily, they block the high frequencies of A/C units well, making these a decent option to keep you concentrated in the office. If you're looking for a similar pair of truly wireless headphones that have an ANC feature, consider the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro Truly Wireless.

The Anker SoundCore Life P2 leak almost no audio, so you likely won't bother those around you with your music.

The recording quality of the microphone on the Anker SoundCore Life P2 is bad. Speech recorded or transmitted with this microphone sounds muffled, empty, and lacking in detail. If you're looking for similar headphones with better recording quality, see the Anker Soundcore Life Dot 2 Truly Wireless or the Boltune BT-BH024 Truly Wireless.

Update 11/15/2021: These headphones have been updated to test bench 1.5. In this update, we made changes to the way we test noise handling. We now use a subjective evaluation of our audio clips. This new method has resulted in different results than what we had reported in our previous test bench. As a result, the scoring of this box has changed, and we have updated our results.

The noise handling of the microphone of the Anker SoundCore Life P2 is okay. In a moderately noisy environment like a busy street, the mic can reduce background noise. However, at the same time, it severely reduces your own voice, which can make it more difficult for the other person to hear you clearly.

Update 01/17/2020: We previously incorrectly stated that the case provided an additional three charges, when it provides five, resulting in longer total battery life. The review has been updated to reflect these changes.

The battery life of the Anker SoundCore Life P2 isn't bad overall but is quite good for truly wireless headphones. While their 6-hour battery won't get you through a full day of work, their case provides an additional five charges, so you can charge them up on your break, wherever you are. Their total battery life of nearly 35 hours is among the highest of any truly wireless headphones we've tested. If you're looking for longer continuous battery life, you may prefer the Sony WF-C500 Truly Wireless. Their case only holds one extra charge, though.

Unfortunately, unlike the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2 or the Anker SoundCore Life P3 Truly Wireless, the Life P2 don't have a dedicated companion app. This means you can't customize the control scheme or sound profile of these headphones in any way. If you want earbuds that have an app with sound customization features, take a look at the Wyze Buds Truly Wireless.

The Anker SoundCore Life P2 are Bluetooth-only, truly wireless headphones. While they support aptX, they don't support aptX(LL), and they aren't recommended for watching videos or gaming, as their latency is very high. They also don't support Bluetooth multi-device pairing, a feature that's finding its way into other budget in-ears like the Skullcandy Dime 3 True Wireless.

These headphones are Bluetooth-only.

These truly wireless headphones are Bluetooth-only. Their charging case charges via USB-C, and a 1.9ft charging cable is included.

These Bluetooth-only headphones aren't compatible with the Xbox One.

The case holds three additional charges, and charges via USB-C.